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Bistro Bella Vita in downtown Grand Rapids is a pioneer in the farm-to-table market.

When Bistro Bella Vita opened in March 1997, it was almost too big for its own good.

The big, open concept for big-city dining in the mid-size Grand Rapids took a while to warm the hearts of diners.

More than 15 years later, Essence Restaurant Group's Bistro Bella Vita is consistently at the top of diners lists and won Grand Rapids Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year in 2012.

Bistro Bella Vita — along with Essence's Grove and The Green Well gastropub in Grand Rapids' East Hills neighborhood — have been pioneers in the farm-to-table movement that has taken Grand Rapids by storm.

In January, the restaurant group received Local First’s Mover & Shaker Award at the LocalMotion Awards, given “to the business that demonstrated a significant shift in its supply chain to local over the past twelve months.”

Bistro Bella Vita’s General Manager Brad Teachout was there to accept the award.

Live video chat: Friday, April 26 at 10 a.m.

Teachout is scheduled to answer questions posted in the comments section below during a live video chat at grbj.com. The chat will be filmed via webcam at Bistro Bella Vita and streamed live below.

Teachout will discuss the farm-to-table movement, the expansive martini bar and how you keep a menu fresh, but true to a restaurant's personality, among other topics.

What questions do you have for Teachout and Bistro Bella Vita? Post your questions — before or during the chat — and look out for the live discussion.

Pat Evans is a staff researcher/reporter for Grand Rapids Business Journal who compiles the weekly lists and covers beer, arts and entertainment and sports business. Email Pat at pevans at grbj dot com. Follow him on Twitter @patevans

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Since 1983, the Grand Rapids Business Journal has been West Michigan's primary and most-trusted source of local business news. The weekly print edition of the Business Journal, a must-read for the area’s top decision-makers, is known as the business newspaper of metro Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon and all of West Michigan.

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The Grand Rapids Business Journal is published by Gemini Publications.